


Breaking Free

by Sayuri_Tamano, Sorrelpelt95



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Harry Potter Needs a Hug, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Master of Death Harry Potter, Oblivious Harry Potter, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 18:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30127032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sayuri_Tamano/pseuds/Sayuri_Tamano, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorrelpelt95/pseuds/Sorrelpelt95
Summary: To make this clear for future reference: Harry is the last Magical. Everyone else is pretty much stuck with a tiny shard of magic, like a speck really, so while they could have seen magical creatures when they were still around, only Harry can perform magic.(Hello! Sayuri here~ Just a disclaimer: I amnotthe writer of this fic; I'm just the beta. Sorrel and I are having some tech difficulties, so I had to be put as co-writer to help with editing. Thank you for reading and we hope you enjoy!!)
Relationships: Tadashi Hamada/Harry Potter
Comments: 7
Kudos: 36





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> To make this clear for future reference: Harry is the last Magical. Everyone else is pretty much stuck with a tiny shard of magic, like a speck really, so while they could have seen magical creatures when they were still around, only Harry can perform magic.
> 
> (Hello! Sayuri here~ Just a disclaimer: I am _not_ the writer of this fic; I'm just the beta. Sorrel and I are having some tech difficulties, so I had to be put as co-writer to help with editing. Thank you for reading and we hope you enjoy!!)

Betrayal. 

Friends, family, mentors─ they all betrayed him. When they wanted him to fight, he did. When they wanted him to endure yearly torture at the hands of his so called 'relatives', he did. When they wanted him to walk to his death, _he did._ He had been terrified, utterly and completely, but he went anyway; stood in front of a monster, allowed himself to die, then came back and fought him again, all because they wanted him to. And what did he get?

_Betrayal._

After fighting, literally _dying_ for wixen kind, all he wanted was peace, a chance to lick his wounds in private, to heal. He'd planned to rest and recuperate in Grimmauld Place, had hoped to be close to his departed godfather─ but no. As soon as Voldemort had turned to ashes, Harry found himself slapped in magic binding cuffs and portkeyed into a ministry holding cell, the chill of Dementors biting deep into his bones. The first time he'd seen Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, sweet Ginny who he'd been intending to marry as soon as he'd rested, he'd thought he was saved, that they were there to release him. But then he saw their faces, the sneers, the _disgust_.

If that weren't bad enough, they explained he'd been dosed on potions since starting school; ones to mould him, ones to keep him complacent, ones to compress his magic so he couldn't use too much. And _love potions_. Love potions to make him fall for Ginny, loyalty potions to keep him from thinking about anyone else, suppressant potions to both stunt his maturity and puberty despite looking like he'd gone through it. 

At that point, they didn't even need the cuffs. 

Harry didn't notice when they left. Nor when he gained a new guest, and said guest pushed something discreetly into his pockets, then vanished. He only noticed when he suddenly felt clear headed, because that was also when he found himself back at the nightmare inducing Veil.

"Sirius..."

His voice was hoarse from disuse but the word was clear, ringing in the sudden silence of the cavernous room. Only then did he realize he had an audience, and that he'd interrupted Kingsley Shacklebolt. The man had been reading off his supposed 'crimes', shooting him wary looks.

"... -ow we condemn this prisoner to execution by Veil. If you would, please, have your wands ready while I remove the cuffs?" Kingsley's voice preceded a rustling of cloth, the static feeling of hostile magic in the air prickling along his skin, and Harry didn't fight, didn't react past a couple slow blinks. 

The last thing he heard was a soft, sweet voice, dreamy and yet filled with power, tainted with regret, saying, "I'm sorry, Harry".

Then everything went black. 


	2. Chapter 2

At first, he dreamed; nightmares, flights of fancy, wishes come true; but then he grew aware. He realized that he had nothing else to dream of, and since he had only time, he found himself wandering in his own head, shuffling about the shabby place. As he went, he organized, and he realized that _this_ was what Snape meant by clearing his mind. It took a while, longer than he thought to keep track of, but eventually, everything was ordered to his liking, and there were constructs and buildings, creatures, traps, and passwords to protect his memories. 

When he grew bored of organizing, he turned to his magic. He could still feel it, curiously enough, and while he knew he _should_ be dead, he still felt fine. Harry knew his heart still beat, he could feel his lungs moving, and he could almost feel his blood moving in his veins, magic pulsing against his skin like a second heartbeat and fizzing in his veins. Inside his mind, he could do anything, _be_ anything, but eventually he realized he was still trapped. 

Then came the realization: _he couldn't move his body._ Sure, he could feel something silky smooth and cool brushing against his exposed skin, could feel Dudley's hand me downs occasionally flit around him, like some oversized shroud, he could even feel the air passing through his nose. _But he couldn't move a muscle._

Even with the petrificus a person could feel their muscles straining against the magic holding them in place, but _this,_ this felt nothing like a spell. 

Eventually, however, even that fear began to fade, as if he'd spent so long afraid that he'd grown numb. The panic at realizing he was in the Veil didn't stick around for long either, it seemed, nor did the worry he felt when he realized he didn't seem to need sustenance. Of course, time had become a rather _fuzzy_ concept, seeing as there wasn't even light through his eyelids to give an idea of the passage of days, _if there even were days in the Veil,_ so he had no idea of exactly how long it had been. His magic, freed from the spells and potions keeping it suppressed and halfway bound at the same time his mind became clear, had grown, seeming to fill his very pores with heady electricity. Again, though, the worry at the consequences that might arise from such a thing happening faded, leaving him numb.

For a while, he would play with his magic while floating, creating shapes and colours, learning to perform wandless and wordless spells in the safety of his Occlumency fortress, and he grew content with things. He thought, _everyone I thought I knew is gone, Sirius is gone, I have my magic, and it's peaceful inside my mind. Why leave?_

Then, like a blind man seeing colour for the first time, things changed. His space, which had been quiet and peaceful, safe, was suddenly filled with things that would bash against whatever was cocooning him, jolting against his magic and being turned away by it, pushing him this way and that and rocking his existence. After a while, the things slowed down, no longer hitting him, no longer shoving him around, and he found himself floating next to something that sparked against his senses, feeling of life in the previously lifeless void around him.

For a time, he was content to float, feeding the flickering life to keep it steady, and then his world was rocked once more. 

_Those are voices...! Real, live people! How the bloody hell are they in the Veil?!_

Still unable to move, his world once more went black, the shock of being removed from the Veil knocking him unconscious despite his Occlumency, the last thing he heard being what sounded like worried gibberish.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry woke to a steady, slow, even beeping, muffled in his head by the presence of heavy tranquilizers. His mouth felt like cotton, his limbs like lead, and his ears, when he turned his attention to them, felt like they were stuffed with padding. He'd only ever been in a muggle hospital once, when the Dursleys couldn't foist him off on Figg and had to visit Marge after she'd fractured her hip, but he realized that must have been where he'd ended up, _somehow._

A rustle of cloth sent his heart monitor spiking with fear, causing an exclamation of alarm from the nurse who must have been visiting, and then there was what seemed like a swarm of people, all crowding around his bed, him unable to move and silently panicking even more. A sharp voice rose above the noise, authoritative, and silenced everyone, then the rustling of clothes came again, this time signaling people leaving, and even though he was still somewhat panicky the heart monitor slowed, eased by him utilising his shields to calm down. 

The enforced calm after panicking must have sent him to sleep again, because the next thing he knew, he was waking again to the sound of rustling cloth and a slow beeping. This time, however, the voices were in English, accented, but still English. 

"Sir? Can you open your eyes for me?"

The voice was the same authoritative one that had cut through the panic earlier, gentled but no less commanding, and while he tried, he couldn't manage. It felt like his eyes had been glued shut. Something must have given him away, though, because the voice was understanding and continued. 

"That's alright, at least you're responding and can understand now. I apologize for the panic earlier. Why don't you go back to sleep for now? You can try when you wake up again." 

He wanted to protest, wanted to say he just needed a moment, but the pull was too strong and this time he knew he'd fallen asleep. 

* * *

Things continued like that for a while, with him waking briefly, barely responding, then falling back asleep, until eventually he got the idea of prodding his sleepy magic into acting, coaxing it to fill his body and hopefully heal whatever was wrong with him. It took awhile, how long he didn't know, but his efforts were finally rewarded one night. _This time,_ when he woke, he could open his eyes and move his head, both of which happened in quick succession along with him immediately slamming his eyes shut with a groan. Even the faded light of a quarter moon was too much for eyes that hadn't seen light in gods only knew how long. 

Thankfully, he found he wasn't alone, and a soft voice, feminine and sweet, worried but slowly relaxing, preceded the rustle of cloth. 

"Oh geeze, I'm so sorry... I didn't think-... Gosh..." The voice then accompanied a face, as soon as he could open his eyes again, and he found himself looking into soft green eyes a few shades darker than his own, his breath huffing out slightly harder in amusement. "Right, sorry... My name's Cass. My nephew, Hiro, was the one who found you and Abigail. They tried to find family for you, but the doctors couldn't match you to anyone, so when I came to visit my other nephew, Tadashi, they asked me if I'd take care of you when you could move."

Harry just stared, brow crinkled in confusion as he wondered why anyone would think of agreeing, especially when it meant taking on someone you knew nothing about. Something must have shown on his face because Cass was smiling sweetly, worry giving the expression an uncertain tilt. 

"Oh!" She suddenly perked up, looking as if she'd had an epiphany. "Here! Blink once for yes, twice for no, okay?" Receiving one blink, she continued with a much more at ease smile. "Okay. Would you be against me taking you in, once you can move again?" 

A wary two blinks, followed by a confused squint of the eyes.

"Then that's settled! I know it'll take a while, of course, because you don't seem like you can move much past your head, but I'll make sure to have a place set up for when you're ready." Cass paused after a moment, looking hesitant, then she seemed to resolve herself because she asked. "It's late now, and they only let me stay so long because you keep waking up at random intervals, but once you can stay awake longer, would you like to meet Hiro?" 

One blink, followed by a barely raised eyebrow, hinting at him asking _why._

Green eyes softened, a hesitant hand reaching out and gently patting his arm. "He brought you back from that place, wants to meet you as well. Abigail too. She woke up a few days ago, saying something about you saving her life somehow, even before Hiro got there. Said she saw you in a dream, keeping her warm despite how cold she was. Hiro wants to thank you for keeping her alive." 

Harry blinked, sleep encroaching once more, and a yawn that was more like a sigh escaped him, making Cass smile in understanding. 

"Go to sleep, hun. We'll talk more later."

He didn't even have the strength to protest, just fell asleep with a sigh. 

* * *

Harry spent the next two weeks waking for increasing lengths of time, growing stronger as he pumped his magic through his body, reversing untold amounts of time spent in stasis. Within the first three days he'd been able to speak, giving his name and age, even if he added on a few years to be safe, and after a week and a half he'd been able to sit up and eat on his own. He'd met Hiro, heard about how Tadashi ended up just barely out of instant death range from the explosion that blew up the college, heard the heavily injured student had fallen into a coma. 

Cass even told him about how Harry himself had ended up in a coma for about a month before waking the first time, and even though the amnesia excuse was cliche, it helped, giving him leeway to be confused and ask questions. Then, making his heart clench and tears spring into his eyes, Cass produced a set of items he'd never thought to see again; his mokeskin pouch, layered with expansion charms that seemed to still be active, a pendant delicately carved with a stylized lily he'd found in his vault once, and the Potter lordship ring that no one had bothered to remove because it looked fake to anyone will ill intent. 

"Sorry..." He sniffed, wiping away tears that had begun tracking down his cheeks. "Things are still fuzzy, but those, those I remember... The pendant was my mother's, Lily, and the ring was my father's, James. They died when I was one, and those were found in my trust vault when I came of age. The pouch belonged to my godfather who died a few years ago... It's all I have left of the last of my family..." The last was a lie, of course, but how was he supposed to explain magic to muggles? What of he ended up drawing attention from the magicals? _Were_ there magicals still around? Was he the last? If he was, did that mean he was even more of a freak now? What if these people turned on him as well? No, better to hide his magic, make up stories for the items, keep them safe, hidden. 

Gently, he cradled the three items to his chest for a moment, then he pulled the pendant over his head, settled the ring on his left middle finger, and tucked the pouch in his lap, lacking the belt or belt loop to tie it to. When the somber atmosphere had grown too thick, Harry had decided to try walking for a bit, knowing he needed to build up muscles again and that even magic couldn't do that without a little help from him moving, so everyone had decided to accept the change. 

Now, it was another four days after he'd been returned his items, and with regular bouts of exercise around the room, he was able to shuffle from wall to wall several times without growing winded. Since he was alone, and he'd finally been given pants, he decided he wanted to walk a bit, so, plucking up that famous Gryffindor courage, he grabbed his cane and shuffled out of the door, sticking close to the wall as he began moving down the hall. When the nurses just gave him encouraging smiles and continued on, he began relaxing, glad that he had a chance to explore, until he came to a room labeled T. Hamada. 

Curious, he knocked, but when he received no answer, he decided to look around, then slipped into the room when no one was watching. _Ah... The coma... I forgot about that..._

Harry hummed softly and shuffled closer, head tilted as he studied the other male. For the first time since the void, he found his magic vibrating almost eagerly under his skin, no longer needing to be coaxed and prodded to work, so taking a chance, Harry reached out to brush hair away from the sleep relaxed face. A jolt of electricity arcing between their skin had him yanking his hand back with a hiss, then he growled, frustrated, and turned to leave, not noticing the changes taking place in the comatose man as he disappeared through the door.


	4. Chapter 4

After a grueling week of intensive muscle therapy, Harry was finally discharged and sent 'home' with Cass. No one had been able to get information about him, who he was, or where he came from, so instead of trying to futilely track down information that didn't seem to exist, they gave him new documents. Officially, he was twenty one, named Harry James Potter, his mother was Lily Evans Potter, father James Charlus Potter, and while he was legally an adult, he was still under the temporary care of Cass Hamada. 

Along with being given an entirely new lease on life, Harry had been filed under 'special cases' from the hospital, meaning that he was given a monthly income for a year to help him get settled into his new life and to help ease the burden on Cass due to having another person to care for. It felt weird, being cared for by a government in even so small a way, but he didn't dare refuse, even if he _did_ have things in his mokeskin pouch which could allow him to live on his own. 

The first thing he did, after arriving at the Lucky Cat Cafe and getting gently urged upstairs into a guest bed, was prod his magic into forming a barrier around himself that would act much like a muggle repelling ward and allow him a bit of privacy. Then, once he was secure, he checked the contents of the pouch. With the expansion charms still in place, and the pouch still keyed to himself, he expected to find the wizarding tent, the shards of his holly and pheonix feather wand, a couple changes of clothes, and maybe a handful of galleons that he might be able to melt down and trade for cash. What he _didn't_ expect to find, were the elder wand, resurrection stone, and the shimmery fabric of the invisibility cloak. 

He _also_ didn't expect the three items to seemingly gain sentience and practically attack him, but before he could panic, they disappeared, brushing against his skin with the faintest of touches each and then gone, as if they'd never existed. The sudden surge of magic exploding out of him was also highly unexpected, and it shattered the messy ward, short circuiting the cafe and every building within a mile on all sides. 

Harry awoke to a gentle, cool touch on his forehead, eyes cracking open to see worried green staring back at him, and he shuddered, feeling as if his skin was being danced on by ants with needles for feet. "Wha' 'appened?" His voice was slurred, his forehead crinkling when he noticed, and he turned his head side to side slowly to try and see around him. The lack of glasses, as ever, was weird, but after a month of not needing them, he'd slowly become accustomed, and he was especially thankful when he didn't need to root around for them now because he could see Cass giving him a worried/confused/hesitant frown. 

"You don't know?" Receiving a head shake, Cass grew even more worried and brushed the same cool hand over his forehead. "The power went out so I decided to come check on you, make sure you were okay, only... I don't know why, but it looked like you fell off the bed and you were shaking. It almost looked like a seizure, but the tremors were very mild in comparison. I got you back up on the bed about five minutes ago, and the touch seemed to help."

During the explanation, Harry tried to very carefully take stock of his body and core, finding that, instead of a condensed ball of swirling energy around his stomach, his entire body seemed to have become one great big core, every inch of him glowing with magic. The only explanation he could think of was that the Hallows had somehow bound themselves to him, so instead of giving away his worry, Harry smiled and struggled to sit up against the head board. 

"I dunno what happened, but thanks... Sorry to make you worry. Are you and Hiro alright?" 

"Oh! Yes, we're fine...! I've lived here so long I can pretty much walk this place blind, and Hiro is so smart he probably has the layout memorized despite how often I redecorate and move things around." Cass gave a soft, relaxed smile, then stood, offering her new houseguest a comforting pat to the shoulder. "I know it's a bit early, but lunch will be ready soon now that the generators are on if you feel up to trekking downstairs, and I'm sure Hiro can help you find some clothes so you can get out of those scrubs. You're more than welcome to join us, and if not, I can bring something up for you."

As he had been scolded repeatedly by the nurses to take it easy once he got 'home', Harry knew better than to offer help, but he nodded, intent on joining them downstairs as soon as he changed. Cass took her leave, and he was about to start looking in his pouch again, but a soft shuffle of feet drew his attention to Hiro standing in the door, looking nervous and uncomfortable. 

"Yes? You look like I'll bite you if you get too close." Harry chuckled, the sound a little flat due to the strain still pulling at him due to everything that had happened. 

Hiro scowled, flushing faintly along the bridge of his nose, and shuffled forward again to lay a set of clothes on the edge of the bed. "They're Tadashi's, so they'll be long on you, maybe loose in the chest, but..." He shrugged, feeling uncomfortable as he remembered that his brother was in a coma due to his burns, all because of that jerk Callaghan deciding to steal his tech and fake his death in the process. 

"Er, right... Thanks. Would you mind showing me where the bathroom is?" Harry had gotten the story of how his rescue had come about, which had also necessitated him learning the circumstances around Tadashi's coma, and now he was feeling awkward as well. Sure, it had led to his being rescued from the void, along with the life he'd been carefully feeding and kept burning away instead of being snuffed, but even learning the barebones story was like something he'd had to deal with in Hogwarts, and he wouldn't wish those circumstances on anyone.

After being led to the bathroom, he changed out of the scrubs that had been given to him due to his clothes disintegrating at nearly the first touch, relieved himself, washed his hands and face, and allowed himself a moment of self scrutiny. He'd definitely aged, if only a little, and now looked around nineteen to twenty, the green of his eyes had turned nearly the exact shade of the Avada Kedavra, his hair had grown to reach his shoulders, and his face, always thin and sharp due to a childhood of neglect, had filled out rather than grow more thin due to an enforced, very light diet. 

Further scrutiny had shown him the surprising lack of most of his recent scars, most startling being the lack of his distinctive lightning bolt. Of course, the lack of knotted scar tissue from the locket burning into his chest and neck was a blessing, as well as the fact that most of the scrapes and deeper injuries sustained from battling Voldemort had vanished, but still. 

_It'll be good to meet people, introduce myself, and not have that scar be my most distinct feature... Given what I've been told, this is either extremely far into the future, or I've hopped dimensions, so either way, there will be no one to recognize me... Hopefully._

A knock at the door startled him from contemplating his reflection, and he pulled on the borrowed shirt, finding it loose around his shoulders but comfortably so. "Yeah, sorry. Be out in a minute..." He called, splashing his face once more with cool water then drying it off on a hand towel. 


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next few days, Hiro began introducing his friends, the ones who had helped him defeat Abigail's father, and Harry found himself feeling slightly heartsick. Wasabi was most like Neville, despite being a bit more neurotic, Honey-Lemon was like a less dreamy Luna, and Go Go was like a truly nice version of Ginny, the one he _thought_ he'd known until she admitted to dosing him with a myriad of potions. _That won't happen again, you're fine. Potions isn't a thing here, even if Honey-Lemon does the best she can with her gadgets. And besides, they don't know you here. Why would they want to drug you?_

It had taken repeated self assurance, and not a little willingness to look past the woman's brash exterior, but eventually, after several days of being in her company, he could say that they were at least friendly, if not friends. 

Fred, though... Fred was... _difficult_ to think about. The Fred Harry had known had died from an explosion, had been a fun loving prankster after the Marauder's own hearts with George, and had a sense of chaotic excitement when it came to experimenting. _This_ Fred was laid back, calm, only excitable about certain things, and even if the two had shared that love of experimenting, what with the requests of invisible sandwiches and being granted the ability to turn into a fire breathing monster, this Fred wasn't _his_ Fred. 

It hurt, but he eventually caved, explaining what he'd 'remembered' when introduced, that way he could stop getting the stink eye from Go Go because she'd thought he had a problem with their friend. 

"It's nothing on him, promise, I just... I'd probably have the same problem hearing the name George, to be honest... They were like my own brothers, at least now that I remember them..." Harry shook his head, wiped his face, and smiled shakily at the group, taking a fortifying sip of his drink before continuing to speak. "Anyway... College sounds hard. I don't think I'd be very good at it, not like all you smart folk. Maybe, once I can move a bit more without needing to catch my breath every ten minutes, I'll come see it. You could show me what you're all working on, and while I highly doubt I'll understand anything, I promise to be wowed." 

The group laughed at that and returned to their easy banter, teasing each other and showing off different gadgets every now and then. It was nice, almost like the times he'd have down time with the DA, just showing off spells or talking about class, or quidditch. 

* * *

Three hours later, they were all standing around Tadashi's bed, Cass, Hiro, Go Go, Honey-Lemon, Fred, and Wasabi crowding as close as they dared while he leaned against the wall feeling awkward and out of place. Tadashi had woken, somehow, his burns seeming to slough off when the nurses checked him over, and when they were cleaned off, they revealed healthy, pink skin. The doctors were saying it was a miracle, exclaiming over how just waking from a coma would have been a miracle, but to have his burns healed as well? Utterly mind boggling.

_I must have healed him or something when I visited that once... Why though? Why did my magic draw me to him?_

Go Go and Wasabi parted at that moment, allowing Tadashi a glimpse of Harry, and when their eyes caught, Harry's breath hitched in his throat at the instant connection built between them. His face growing flushed, he quickly yanked his eyes away and shuffled out of the room, finding a seat in the hallway to collapse into so he could try and organize his thoughts. 

_I wish I'd thought to learn more now, because I remember nothing about magic acting this way in any of the books I read. Mmmh... I still haven't checked everything in my pouch yet, so maybe there's something relevant in there? I'll have to check later, even if that means potential surprises._

A sound drew his attention and caused him to look up, and he watched as, surprisingly, Fred plopped down next to him, reclining negligently and seemingly comfortably in the hard, plastic chair.

"I don't wanna be rude, or anything, but if you like, you can come stay at my place instead. It'll probably be pretty awkward for you, and I know Tadashi's gonna try and leave asap. It's kinda lonely with just the butler, too, so you'd kinda be doing me a favour this way, and I could help you out with whatever you wanted to learn, too." 

Harry hummed in thought, mulling it over for a minute, then he wrapped his arms around his middle with a sigh and leaned back, resting his head against the wall. "Alright, but only if you let me do something to pay you back. It wouldn't sit well with me if I just stayed without doing anything... Maybe I could cook? I'm pretty sure I remember some recipes... Or cleaning..." 

Fred gave a wide grin, almost as if he'd won something without Harry knowing, and a sudden jolt of unease slithered its way down his spine. 

_Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all..._


	6. Chapter 6

Since Harry had nothing to pack, Fred had decided to immediately drag him home with him, calling for his butler to drive over that way they didn't exhaust themselves. The group had looked worried at his sudden decision, but he'd long since perfected the Slytherin mask, only allowing people to see through when he _wanted_ things to be seen, and they were sent off with well wishes and reminders to stay safe. Honey had fretted good naturedly, Go Go had told him to 'woman up', then lightly punched his arm, and Hiro had to hold Wasabi back from going full blown panic mode while Cass just asked that they be safe and to call her for any reason.

He'd studiously _not_ looked toward Tadashi, refusing to feel his magic sizzle between them again, then he followed Fred out of the hospital and into the car, sitting with only a slight huff due to his legs deciding it was time to rest before he'd fully sat down. The look Fred shot him didn't make him feel any better, admittedly, but better to feel only mildly uncomfortable than to have his magic react almost like a hyperactive puppy. 

"So... You and Tadashi, eh?" The tone was so smug that there was no way he could miss the meaning, and Harry immediately turned beet red, hiding his hands in his face with a groan. 

"Shut up, you... I don't even know what's going on, okay?" Fred's laugh only made him groan again, but thankfully, the rest of the ride was spent in silence, giving Harry a chance to calm down and get his flaming face under control. When they stopped, it was all he could do to get out of the car without further embarrassing himself, and then embarrassment flew out the proverbial window only to be replaced with shock. 

"Yeah... Seems pretty big until you get used to it, but I've lived in here pretty much my whole life, so I'm used to it. Come on, I'll show you around, and then I'll give you a room you can renovate when you feel better." 

Fred set off quickly enough that Harry had to nearly scramble to keep up, and he quickly found himself in the foyer of the mansion, his mind flashing back to when he'd 'visited' Malfoy Manor to compare. While Malfoy Manor had been cold and sparsely decorated, this place was warm and friendly, inviting and open while still boasting darker shades to ease the eyes. 

"It's beautiful here... Must be terribly difficult to keep clean, though... I can see why it'd be lonely." After a moment when Fred did nothing but nod, Harry asked hesitantly. "Why don't you have the others stay? Surely they wouldn't mind?"

The relaxed air suddenly grew tense and Fred gave him a speculative look, then he seemed to relax, a small smile on his face as he shook his head. "No can do. My family's got a lotta secrets, and knowing them, they'd snoop if they were allowed free reign. You, though? You seem like the type to hide away in a single room and keep to yourself rather than snoop." 

Before Harry could comment, Fred threw open a set of double doors and spread his arms wide, then he moved to one side with a dramatic bow. "Behold! My personal inner sanctum. Rejoice! For you are standing where few dare tread." 

Harry snorted at the display, then shook his head even as he looked around in awe. The game consoles were familiar from his time with the Dursleys, but what Dudley had never bothered with were books of any kind, and Fred's walls were _packed,_ most bookshelves stuffed with comics and mythology books, a few holding well cared for knickknacks, and between two of them stood what almost looked like a costume of a three eyed swamp monster.

Having noticed the object of Harry's attention, Fred bounces over and throws an arm over the shoulder of the costume, throwing a carefree grin to his guest. "Like it? The group made it, well, mainly Hiro, but they all pitched in to make it. It can even breathe fire! Wanna see?" 

Harry was quick to shake his head, instead taking a seat so his shaking legs could rest, and he continued to marvel over the plethora of items packing the room. Surprisingly, or maybe not so much, the room was well organized and held barely any clutter. What little there was seemed mostly of the clothing variety. 

"Much cleaner than some rooms I've seen..." He muttered, then louder he asked. "Not that I'm complaining, or that I'll even be able to move just yet, but _why_ did you bring me here? I thought you were going to show me to a guest room, not your own personal one." 

As if the question had stabbed him in a tender area, Fred jolted into action and began dashing through the room, pulling books from the shelves only to tuck them back in, moving knickknacks, and making sounds of frustration, but then he made a pleased sound and pulled something from the very back of a shelf. Whatever it was had Harry on his feet and backing away almost before he registered he was moving, his skin prickling with the familiar feeling of magic.

"Yes! I _knew_ there was something different about you!" The grin on his face abruptly slid away, replaced by worry as he saw his guest staring, wide eyed, and nearly hyperventilating, legs shaking so much it was a wonder he could stand. "Hey! Whoa! Easy...! Relax, Harry, I'm not about to go grabbing a steak knife or anything..." 

When it looked like Harry would still pass out from hyperventilating, Fred rolled his eyes and stalked over, the ringing sound of skin on skin seeming almost loud in the usually quiet room.

Despite the slap being loud rather than painful, the stinging in his cheek was enough to snap Harry out of his panic, and though his heart was still rabbit quick in his chest, he'd snapped back to the present enough to actually _think_ rather than just react. His magic, once again seemingly sentient and like a hyper active pup, swirled out from him before he could even think to ask, judging Fred's intentions and deeming him dangerous but not immediately a threat. 

"Thanks, but I'd still like an explanation for why you have that..." He muttered, rubbing the sting out of his cheek and allowing his magic to heal the mild annoyance. The cat was out of the bag anyway, so there was no use in hiding it. _Of course, I could be wrong and the second I relax my guard, he's going to drug me and cart me off to experiment on me..._

"The book?" Fred asked, grabbing said book and bringing it closer to reveal a mildly worn hardback book, the cover a nice earth brown with indents on the front and spine where the title and author would be. "My family has had this thing for generations. One of my great aunts, like, seven or so greats, married into the family who had it, then stuff happened, she couldn't have children, and this book went to my great granddad instead. Then it kept going until I got it..." 

As he spoke, he'd been flipping through the pages carefully until he stopped, apparently finding whatever it was he was looking for. "Here we go... 'Harry James Potter, Boy Who Lived Twice, wrongfully accused of harboring intentions to become a Dark Lord and thrown through the Veil without trial.' Some of the words were damaged so I I can't read them all, but from what I understood, you're actually supposed to be dead." 

Harry had frozen at the titles, shock keeping him immobile as he listened to the words being read, his heart once more thundering in his chest. This time, he couldn't stop himself from falling to his knees, his legs too weak to hold him up.

"It is you... The picture's faded, of course, but you still look the same, you have the same name..." Gently, as if wary of spooking an animal, Fred sat down and nudged the book closer, allowing Harry to read the news clipping tucked away in the book. 

Slowly, hesitantly, Harry reached out to touch the page, his voice hoarse as his fingers ran over the name of the author. "Luna... She-..." He swallowed hard a few times, trying to clear his throat to speak. "She was there... At the Veil... She said sorry." The memories were too painful so he closed his eyes, turning his head away and holding his hands to his chest as if afraid he'd ruin the book just by touching it. 

When Harry made no move to speak or leave his spot, curled up against one bookshelf, Fred sighed and took the book back, gently closing it and putting it back into the hidden vault for safe keeping. As soon as it was safe, he returned to try and coax Harry up and to another room, helping him lay down and remove his shoes so he'd be comfortable. Then he left, allowing the man to grieve. If what he knew was correct, especially given later writings by the same author, then everything the Wizard knew was gone. It was a terrible thing to think of, being the last of your kind, and Fred wouldn't wish it on anyone.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Harry woke to the delicious smells of a full English sitting beside his bed on a tray, and delighted, and more famished than he'd realized, he dug in. The tastes were different, of course, but they reminded him so much of home, a home that was long gone, that he had to wipe away tears to keep them from dripping into the food. Once he was done, and before he could get up, the door opened to reveal Fred already ready for the day and waving in his butler to remove the tray. 

"Ah-, hey! I could have gotten that...!" Harry absolutely did _not_ pout, no matter what Fred later told the group, even as he was waved away and back into bed, the pushy rich boy plopping down on the edge of the bed without a care in the world. "I should hex you." He growled, leaning against the headboard and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I've wondered for years about what the heck kind of spell a gelled leg jinx was. Maybe you could show me? But later! I have things planned, glorious things of which you shall partake, and you will be happy you did so later! You will thank me and praise my foresight!" Abruptly, a pillow smacked into his face, followed by a toe jabbing him in the thigh, and Fred grinned, unrepentant, as he hopped up. "Come on! First I gotta get you dressed properly."

He groaned, slumping in place, only to feel hands tugging him up and out of bed with much more strength than he'd thought to give Fred credit for, and he found himself reluctantly shuffling out of the room, down the hall, then back into the 'inner sanctum', where he plopped down with a huff. "Do you at least have coffee to fortify me before you subject me to the horrors of shopping? I have no clue what you read in that book, but if it said I actually _enjoyed_ shopping, then it was a lie. A filthy, dirty, complete lie." 

"Yikes... Definitely not a morning person..." Fred shrugged then, deciding to ignore the groaning lump that had formed on his couch, instead he headed into his closet, hoping to find something appropriate for his guest. Harry was seriously thin, petite, and would be dwarfed by whatever he could give him to wear, not to mention it would probably be a bad idea to give him anything recent. There was no telling what was accurate for his guest in what had been written, but giving Harry clothes he'd worn even within the last year or so was out of the question. 

"Aha! Here we go, clothes from when I was a teen. You like green, right?" He called, tugging a forest green tshirt from near the back of his closet along with a pair of jeans that would need hemming. 

The only answer that he gave was a groan and a thud, having rolled off the couch to thump onto the floor, glad for the carpet cushioning his fall. 

"Eh, whatever. Green'll go with your eyes." Fred shrugged, grabbed another couple shirts of varying colours, another pair of jeans, and some socks in case his feet got cold. With his pile of clothing in hand, he headed to the door to call for Heathcliffe, only to find him directly outside with a hand raised to knock. "Heathcliffe! My man! Could you get these washed for me please? And maybe send up some coffee? He's a bit of a grump in the mornings, apparently." 

Heathcliffe gave a barely perceptible sigh before he inclined his head. "Of course, Master Frederick. Shall I show your other guests to your room, or would you prefer to meet them at the door?" 

Fred paused in the act of turning, a sly glint in his eyes, and lowered his voice. "Would a certain older Hamada happen to be one of these guests?" He asked, pitching his voice low enough that Harry wouldn't hear, and when he received a nod, the sly glint morphed into a wicked smile. "Go ahead and show them here." 

The butler bowed respectfully then turned to leave, the pile of clothes in his arms getting handed off to a passing maid so he could greet the guests. 

Back in the room, Harry had found that the carpet was rather comfortable and he didn't want to move, so he'd ended up turning his face to the shadowed underside to block out the light, the tension leaving his muscles slowly. After floating for so long in the void, where he'd been weightless, and then sleeping in a hospital bed, the firmness of the floor covered with a thin layer of plush was more to his liking than the sumptuous bed he'd passed out in the night before. 

He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew he was being shifted enough for a pillow to slide under his head, the gentle weight of a blanket falling over his body, and soft voices filtered in to his ears through the sleep haze, a newer one sounding closer to him than the others. Oddly, it hadn't sparked his fight or flight response, instead lulling him more deeply asleep. 

Tadashi looked up at Honey's coo, gave her a confused look, then glared at Go Go as she passed, one hand rubbing the back of his head to ease the mild sting from her slap. "Uh, hello? I literally just got out of the hospital, remember? What were you cooing at, Honey-Lemon?" 

The woman in question just gave a secretive smile, turned, and joined the group who were sitting around the coffee table which had been moved since their last visit. Even Hiro gave him a blank look, as if wondering if he could _really_ be that oblivious before turning to the group. With a huff, he decided to ignore them all and settled into the couch, wincing slightly as his healing burns were still tender. 

* * *

Barely more than an hour had passed when things took a turn for the worst, as evidenced by Baymax coming out of his container and immediately zeroing in on a twitching Harry. He'd been twitching for the past few minutes, whimpering under his breath, and it was a wonder no one had noticed with how they all kept shooting him worried looks. But then Baymax went to touch him, attempting to soothe and was practically thrown by an invisible force, impacting the wall and bringing a bookshelf crashing down on top of him. 

Before anyone could react, Harry was up and against the completely opposite wall, eyes wide and dilated with terror, his skin a sickly white as blood drained from his face. Just as quickly, he sagged as if his strings had been cut, curling up into a ball on the floor with his back against the wall, face hidden by his knees and his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Hiro, as the most harmless looking of them, decided to move forward slowly, carefully, ending up kneeling just in front of the terrified male, and as he reached out, murmuring softly to alert Harry to his presence, his hand remained steady. 

"Harry? Harry, it's alright... You're safe. It was just a nightmare, okay? I don't know what you were dreaming about, but you're not there anymore, you're here. You're safe now." Tadashi was impressed; his brother had gone from recklessly endangering his own life by botfighting, to soothing someone distraught and terrified. From what he could gather as well, it had only been about six or seven months, so seeing the sudden change was jarring but welcome. 

Slowly, Harry calmed, the shaking eased, and he finally looked up, showing eyes that were swollen and red from crying, glassy from remembered trauma. The smile he gave was shaky, tiny, but clearly still there, and Hiro smiled back, uncaring of the eyes watching his every move. "Was it the void?" He asked, wondering if that was what Harry had dreamed of.

Unsure, green eyes lock on blue, Harry almost begging Fred to explain. His magic had assessed each and every individual in the room, deeming them dangerous when provoked but holding no ill intent towards him, and so long as the secret didn't get out, or lead to him being experimented on like some lab rat, he didn't much care if they knew. 

"Right... Uh... You all remember that book about wizards I showed you before? The one that looked real, with all the newspaper clippings and journal entries and stuff?" Fred waited for the group to nod, slowly and confused, then he gestured vaguely toward Harry and shrugged. "He's that 'boy who lived' guy."

Sudden comprehension dawned and Harry shuddered at the looks of awe, curling into a tighter ball and hiding his face once more to avoid the looks. Hiro, who hadn't read the book yet, still didn't understand, but he felt protective of the man he'd saved so he glared at the group, shuffling forward on his knees to hide Harry from sight. He was startled, slightly, to find him clinging back, but everyone needed a chance to feel protected, no matter what, so he'd offer it. 

"You shouldn't stare. It's rude and making him uncomfortable." 

While the others went to help Baymax up and clean the mess, Wasabi slipped over to Hiro and Harry, grabbing the blanket along the way, and after seeing Harry look up, he smiled and offered the blanket. "Sorry... We tend to take Fred's stories as fairy tales, but that one was always just a little too real, even with all the magic stuff, so finding you here, now... Well, it's a bit of a shock." 

Harry gave a small smile again, this one a little big bigger, more genuine and less strained, then he tugged the blanket around his shoulders with a slight shiver. "I wish it were a fairy tale... Luna used to use different words for things, seeing as she didn't know the common versions growing up, but she never told me a lie. She never printed a lie, either, even if her newspaper was seen as ridiculous... I'm sure that whatever she printed was true, and I'm sorry if you read something horrible. Lies are often poison sweet while truths are bitter medicine." 

Everyone mulled over the words for a moment before Wasabi, refusing to let the doom and gloom settle, suddenly spoke again. "You know what we need? Chocolate. Wasn't it written somewhere in that book that chocolate helped reverse the effects of that one creature? The one that made you cold and depressed?" 

" _Dementor._ " The word was a furious hiss and everyone turned shocked eyes on the green eyed man, surprised at the utter loathing shown in just that one word. "Please tell me they're extinct. Wait... Nevermind... You wouldn't be able to see them... I forgot about that..." He muttered, his scowl turning into a mutinous pout that even Go Go seemed to find adorable, given smile that quickly turned into an amused smirk. 

"Creepy, floaty, mummy guys? Giant mouths, no eyes?" Tadashi asked, causing all eyes to turn to him. When Harry nodded cautiously, he shrugged and settled back into the couch cushion. "Grandpa got rid of the last when he was about my age, but he only ever told the story when he was really old, and by then everyone thought his mind was playing tricks on him. No one believed they were real, thought it was convenient that he'd supposedly killed the last, and they all brushed it off as another fairy tale. Dad told it to me once, wanted to use the creature to scare me when I was little, but then I heard the story from grandpa before he died and he explained they were gone now." 

Harry shuddered, seeming to melt a little, and when he spoke, his voice was quiet, subdued, one hand wrapped tight around the locket against his chest. "They always made me hear her scream..." After a moment, with Hiro still latched tight to him and providing an anchor, a basis for reality, Harry managed to occlude most of the bad memories and the nightmare, tucking them away in a tightly locked box in the corner. 

"Thanks, Hiro..." He murmured, resisting the urge to make a pun out of the kid's name because, while amusing, he wasn't quite willing to joke around yet. "You said something about chocolate? Uncle Remy was addicted to the stuff, always used it to soothe the wolf. I wouldn't say no to some, no matter the form." Harry admitted, giving a small smile to Hiro who had stood and held out a hand to help him up. 

Go Go was quick to move, darting out into the hallway to ask for rounds of hot chocolate, and Wasabi helped him over to the couch where he sat, curled up between the arm rest and the back rest, huddled beneath the blanket. Tadashi had to resist the urge to reach out and touch, but Honey-Lemon, as affectionate as she had always been, had no compunctions about wrapping him in a hug from behind, holding him until the instinctive flinch and tension had run their course and he'd hugged her back. 

Theirs was a small group, but Harry had slowly begun to find his niche, and he was finding that he didn't mind having friends again. He just hoped his heart could take it. 


	8. Chapter 8

It was hours later before anyone realized he'd avoided answering the question about his nightmares, and by then they'd all finished their hot chocolates and spread out. Wasabi, Go Go, and Honey-Lemon were working on their own projects, Hiro and Fred were playing on the console, and Tadashi had seemingly dozed off in his corner of the couch. Therefore, when he spoke it caused the others to startle. 

"You don't really have amnesia... You just said that so you wouldn't expose magic." 

Then he hissed in pain, rubbing the area of his chest where Honey-Lemon had smacked it. She was the sweetest of the group, true, but she still packed a mean punch.

"No, no... It's alright... He just surprised me, that's all." Harry slowly lost the terrified animal look and shook his head, as if flinging off the fear. "You're right. It's just-... I don't-... It's not fun to talk about, is all. Better the bitter truth than sweet lies, right?"

"Oh-... Sweetheart, you don't-"

Harry cut her off gently with a bitter smile, then took a fortifying breath and spoke. "It's alright... It's just a lot of back story." Another deep breath, and the Harry began. He explained the relevant wars, and how Voldemort got his start, then the barebones of his childhood. After calming the group down, he spoke of his Hogwarts years, giving them clinical facts to try and make it easier, until he got to the final battle.

"Not a lot of people knew it, but I was also a horcrux, and in order to make Tom vulnerable, I walked to my death. Because it was willing, instead of me staying dead, the soul shard was excised and I came back. Narcissa was sent to check on me, make sure I was dead, but she lied because I told her her son was safe at the castle. Well, as safe as could be, what with a war going on right at the doorstep. Then I was brought back to the castle, Tom started his speech about surrendering, Neville, surprisingly, stood up to him, and as soon as he'd sliced the last horcrux in two, I was up and moving.

"I cast an expelliarmus to try and disarm him, he cast the killing curse, then our spells locked just like in the graveyard." There, Harry paused, looking over the enraptured audience and smiling shakily. "Remember the tale of the three brothers?" 

The group nodded. They'd had to hear the story to understand why Voldemort had gone after a specific wand instead of just using his own.

"The wand he used in the woods was actually loyal to me and it ended up fractured. When he tried to kill me again, it backfired, and the next thing I know, I'm staring at a pile of ash that was once a madman. The cheering started then, but before I could feel any true relief, I found myself apprehended by an auror, the magical police force, slapped in magic suppressant cuffs, and portkeyed into a ministry holding cell. Apparently," he added, his lips twisted into a bitter, humourless smile, "I was dangerous enough that I deserved dementor guards.

"The first time I saw Hermione, Ron, and Ginny afterward, I'd hoped they'd free me, but then I saw their faces. With the imperious, there's tells. Glazed eyes, jerky movement, maybe a bit of a ditzy wandering, but no... They were fully coherent and cruel. They explained how I'd been drugged, kept complacent and pliable, loyal to the 'light', and how I'd been stunted so O couldn't come into my majority because that would have been 'too dangerous'. They explained I was just a means to an end, and that since I'd fulfilled my purpose, I was too dangerous to let live.

"I ended up retreating into my own mind after that... When I came to, I saw the Veil, the thing that had taken my godfather, and something must have happened because I could suddenly think clearly, more clearly than I could ever remember, but it was too little, too late. Kingsley, a member of the Order, had finished reading off the list of my supposed crimes, and everyone then pointed their wands at me, just in case, while he removed the cuffs. Luna must have snuck in under a disillusionment charm, because right before I was pushed into the veil, I heard her say sorry." 

Harry went quiet then, rubbing a thumb over the pouch he'd fished out and smiling sadly at it. After a moment, he continued, looking up at the group.

"I felt like I floated for years in the void... Things were peaceful, quiet. I didn't care, in the end, because I was finally safe and at peace, even if I didn't have my family. Then... Then I felt things smashing into me, bashing against the magic cocooning me, keeping me safe, and I was confused. Once everything settled down, I ended up floating next to something that brushed against my magical senses.

"It called to me, made me want to focus on the void rather than my own mind, and when it started fading, I fed it magic to keep it steady. It wasn't until after I'd woken up and heard about Abigail that I realized I'd basically kept her alive." Harry chuckled suddenly, then looked to Hiro with a small smile. "Gotta say, you gave me a bit of a heart attack. Even with feeding Abigail magic, she never talked, never moved, never came into contact with me, so when I heard you speaking I panicked. I thought I'd gone insane, finally, imagining voices, but then I went through whatever portal you guys used and blacked out."

Hiro huffed, pretending to be annoyed that Harry had thought him a delusion, but the group all chuckled a bit before Harry continued. 

"When I woke up, I couldn't move, could only breathe and hear things, and the nurse who was in the room nearly gave me a heart attack too because I wasn't expecting to hear people moving around. After I was able to move around though, I met your aunt Cass. Her offer confused me, at first, for obvious reasons." Everyone either scowled or looked upset at the reminder of his childhood, but Harry shook his head. 

"Remember that black out? The one that happened when I first got to the cafe? Well, something happened. I'm pretty sure Luna slipped this into my pocket," he held up the pouch to show what he meant, "and inside were the Hallows. The cloak was an heirloom, the wand won through that series of events, and the stone had been willed to me by Dumbledore. I used it right before I went to my death, actually, asked my parents, Sirius, and Remus if it hurt to die, then I could have sworn I dropped the stone. When I opened the pouch, the Hallows practically attacked me, brushed against my skin, then vanished.

"After that, my magic pretty much exploded from my core, which caused the black out, and I woke up to find Cass giving me a worried look. I'm not sure, exactly, but I think the Hallows bonded with my core, then expanded it."

Everyone was quiet, then Hiro scowled and slumped back against the wall. "No offense, Harry, but wizards were jackasses." 

" _Hiro_!" The scandalized shout came from everyone else but Harry.

"What?! You can't tell me it isn't true?! There he is, saving their ungrateful butts, and they go and kill him afterward because he's powerful enough to save them in the first place!" Hiro scowled again, refusing to look guilty.

Harry chuckled softly and shook his head with a grin. "I think they're upset because you curse, kid, not the sentiment behind it. It's alright, though... I said worse when I was his age. And no offense taken. Wixen were extremely illogical and paranoid. I almost regret saving them." 

He shrugged and the group went quiet again, then Tadashi asked if he could perform some sort of magic for them. Immediately, Harry's eyes locked onto Fred, who gave a nervous gulp at being singled out, and the green eyes took on a mischievous glint.

"I don't mind, but I need a test subject. And since Fred asked the same earlier, he can be it. I just need you to walk from one wall to the opposite, and don't dodge. It won't take affect if you do."

Nervous, but resigned to being the lab rat for a bit, Fred sighed and stood, then obediently walked from one end of the room to the other, very carefully not watching Harry. Therefore he went down with a surprised yelp when his legs wobbled, unable to take his weight. Everyone laughed, even Fred himself, and Harry grinned.

"You _did_ want to know about the jelly legs jinx, right?" The laughter grew at that, then Harry canceled the spell and allowed the laid back male to rejoin the group.

Hiro spoke next, his genius brain whirring with possibilities due to something said previously. "Yiu said you thought the Hallows bonded with you, right? Well, can you go invisible? The wand is out, because you said wandless magic is possible, if rare, and I'd rather not see dead people, so that leaves the cloak. If they bonded with you, surely you can go invisible at will?" 

"You know? I hadn't thought about it that way. Give me a second..." Harry closed his eyes, thinking back to how it felt to wear the cloak, how he felt when he'd seen his head floating in the mirror that first Christmas, and he only knew it worked due to the shocked gasps from everyone. Eyes opening, he grinned. He could see a shimmer of magic around himself, and he looked around the group, finding Go Go moving closer. 

"Okay, forget speed, _that's_ cool... I can't even see an indent or anything which is how you're supposed to find invisible people, right?"

She reached out a hand to try and touch where his head had been, and channeling his Marauder heritage, he ducked out of the way, casting a silencing spell on his clothes to keep them from rustling. Tiptoeing around, Harry found himself right behind Fred, and in the most deadpan of tones, he dropped the invisibility and said, "Boo."

Fred gave a girly shriek, leapt away from him, then landed and glared, finding Harry bent over double and cackling like a hyena. "New rule! _No going ninja in my house!_ " At that, the rest of the group burst out into laughter as well. 

* * *

After another round of hot coco, with everyone chatting away about magic, Wasabi asks if he had any sort of light based spell. 

"Well... There's the lumos and lumos maxima, but they really only light up areas, sort of like a light bulb. And the patronus, I guess... It gives off light." With a wave of his hand, Harry formed the patronus spell from the memory of his parents, watching as it took shape into the regal form of a stag. The patronus curled the couch, looked around the room, then huffed and pawed at the carpet, giving him a look that asked where the danger was. 

"Before, they could be used to ward off dementors, or send messages. Now, though, I guess Prongs is stuck being little more than a nightlight." 

"'Prongs'?" Honey-Lemon's voice was confused, her head tilted slightly to the side. 

"Oh, yeah... My dad was an animagus, a wizard who can turn into an animal, and this was his form. He named it Prongs while Siri, who was also an animagus, named his form Padfoot. Actually, his name was rather ironic, now that I think about it. He was named after the dog star, his last name was Black, and his animal form ended up being a black dog. If you translate his name, he was Dog Black, the Black Dog." Harry chuckled at the irony, along with everyone else. 

"They became animagi to help Remus. He was a werewolf, actually, and I'm pretty sure he and Siri were mated or something. They'd run with him on the full moons which helped, because the wolf only saw them as friends, not a predator to fend off or prey to attack. And they couldn't be turned in animal form, so there was no fear of that."

Tadashi shifted in place, curiosity piqued. "'Mated'?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, well... Before I went through the Veil, there were all kinds of creatures who could interbreed with humans; veela, werewolves, centaurs, vampires... There were even naga, half snake half human creatures. Anyone with creature blood strong enough tended to have a mate. Remember the tournament?" He received nods and a few scowls. "Fleur, the female champion, had enough veela in her that she had a mate in Bill, the eldest Weasley. He actually ended up becoming part werewolf, I think. Something about getting infected but being cured, which only works within a few hours of infection, made it so that he ended up with heightened senses and a penchant for bloody steak, but he was saved the whole excruciating monthly transformation bit.

"Sometimes, if you had parents who were creature before you were conceived, you'd get an inheritance of sorts. For example, Remus' kid, Teddy, would have heightened senses like Bill, more difficulty keeping his temper around the full moon, and his eyes would have turned an amber/gold to show the wolf and veela had an allure that drew any 'interested' party. I'm not sure about the vampires, centaurs, nagas and such, but they would have had their tells as well."

Go Go spoke then, both slightly uncomfortable and confused. "You saying guys could get pregnant?" At Harry's confused look, she clarified. "You said you thought Remus and Sirius were mated, but that Remus had a son."

"Oh! No, no, at least, I don't think so. No... After Siri went through the Veil, Remus grieved. He ended up marrying Tonks, a member of the Order, and they had Teddy. I think he was just misplaced in his grief, actually, confused, otherwise I doubt he'd have even looked at a woman." 

"Ah... Much more sense." 

"Yeah, sorry. Anyway, I'm not sure if any creature still survived, and while I don't _think_ I have a creature inheritance, I can't be sure because of the potions Ginny dosed me with. Some, she said, were to stunt my maturity even if I went through human puberty, and then there was the Veil... I can't be sure, but if I suddenly have the urge to grow fur and howl at the moon, grow feathers and start flinging fire, or grow fangs and start drinking blood, I'll be sure to let you know."


	9. Chapter 9

Heathcliffe had come in, bringing lunch with him, and they all spent a while eating and talking about anything that caught their fancy, but then it got on the topic of what kinds of magics everyone might have been capable of given their preferences now. Honey-Lemon had been told about potions, what little he could remember, Wasabi nearly went into a neurotic panic about the skewed logic and lack of organization, Hiro and Tadashi complained about the lack of tech, and Go Go pestered him about fast magics or magics based on speed. 

That got them onto the topic of racing brooms, and Harry had to laugh. 

"Brooms? _Brooms_?! A cleaning tool that can not only fly, but go faster than a motorcycle? I don't believe it." Go Go gave Harry an unimpressed look, and he laughed again, rubbing the pouch that he hadn't put away for the entirety of their conversation. 

"It's true! There was a whole sport played and everything! Hold on..." Still chuckling, Harry opened the pouch and rummaged around, causing many shocked looks as his entire hand disappeared into the fabric which looked like it couldn't even fit his hand. "Ha! Here we go."

Their eyes widened even further as Harry pulled out not only his arm, but an entire, full sized broom. 

"The thunderbolt. It came out after the firebolt, actually, just before the end. I had to sneak away from the group and glamour myself to buy it, but it's wicked fast, difficult to control, and stops on a dime." As he spoke, he gently began almost petting the broom, a fond smile on his face. The broom itself was a pale silver with dark green bristles, sleek in design and shimmering with magic. 

"I also had to hide it, or else I'd get yelled at for 'disgusting Slytherin tendencies'..." 

"Right... That whole house rivalry thing. Seems a bit stupid to me." Hiro shrugged, earning a wry chuckle, then eyed the broom skeptically. "I still don't see how a broom can fly."

Fred perked up then, waving his hand much like Hermione would have in class. "Oooh! Me! Me! I have an idea!" Instead of explaining, he stood and bolted from the room, and everyone left behind traded looks before following, finding him in the same courtyard the group had practiced in to defeat Callaghan. 

"Let me guess... A demonstration?" Harry grinned at Fred's eager nodding, then shook his head with a fond sigh, stepping barefoot into the grass. "Alright then, but I have to ward the area so no one else sees. You all may be comfortable with magic and not willing to hide me away to experiment on or burn at the stake, but I don't trust other humans. Here, hold this." Abruptly, he shoved the broom at Go Go, who squawked in surprise and fumbled a moment, then glared at him as he walked the perimeter of the courtyard. 

Once he was done, _everyone_ could feel it, the magic buzzing like low level static against their skin. 

"Alright then, brace yourselves." Harry called from the other side of the yard. With a mischievous grin, he then summoned the broom to his hand and mounted it, kicking off with barely a push and soaring a good twenty feet in the air before he could stop. His laugh echoed down to them, and their cries of shock and awe echoed up to him.

They spent the next few minutes watching him perform stunts, then when he landed, he beckoned over an eager Go Go and set the broom in her hand. "You don't need magic to ride a broom, but it _is_ more difficult to control without it. Hiro told me you're a speed demon, though, so I have a hunch you'll be able to figure it out, and don't worry, I've set safety measures to keep you from slipping off."

She gave Harry a surprised look, shocked that he'd be willing to risk letting her use his broom, but when all he did was smile, she grinned and mounted it, shifting a bit to find a comfortable position. Quickly, Harry darted out of the way to join the rest of the group off to the side, and it seemed he was just in time, too, as, true to form, Go Go blasted into the air with a delighted shriek. Pleased, he decided to enjoy the sunshine for a bit and took a seat on a nearby bench, letting the group marvel over broom based flight. 

* * *

He'd been digging in his pouch for about an hour, listening to the excited chattering going on about the broom, when he felt a presence off to the side and looked up, finding Tadashi taking a seat on the bench. 

"You healed me, didn't you?" Tadashi asked after a moment, rubbing a shiny pink patch of skin on his arm. "The doctors said I shouldn't have woken up, that I should have still had the burns, that they should have turned to scars rather than new skin." His brow furrowed in confusion, Tadashi tilted his head, turning to fully face Harry. "Why?"

Flushing and averting his eyes, Harry shrugged uncomfortably, awkward. "It didn't happen on purpose... Cass told me about you, how you got caught in the explosion. She'd been asked, since Hiro was the one to save me, if she would take me in. When we were finally able to talk, she explained that she had been visiting you when they pulled her aside, and that she was more than willing to take me in for a bit, and as soon as I could walk, I wandered the halls. I found your room, wanted to meet you, but I'd forgotten you were in a coma too.

"When I went to brush your hair away from your face so I could see you better, my magic sparked... I left before I noticed any changes, but I'm not surprised it healed you... I wanted to be a healer, a magical doctor, before, and I was studying healing magic in secret any chance I got. My magic seemed to like it even better than defensive magic, so it probably acted on its own when I went to touch." Again, Hary shrugged, fiddling with the phoenix feather that had been part of his wand and allowing the magic of it to fizzle against his skin. 

Tadashi just hummed softly, turning to look at the group who were giving them a bit of privacy, then he leaned against the backrest of the bench with a sigh. "Makes as much sense as anything... Although, I have to ask... Why do you tend to avoid me? You're fine with Hiro and Cass, Wasabi and the girls, and even Fred seems close to you, but you barely look at me." He was unable to keep a hint of hurt from his voice, but he had no idea where it came from. All he knew was that the avoidance was painful.

Harry flushed darker, head ducked to hide his burning face, and muttered something about needing to use the loo, then he bolted, leaving a confused Tadashi and a worried group. Even he didn't know why he avoided the man, besides his magic reacting eagerly at his proximity, but he had a feeling it had something to do with those potions Ginny had admitted to dosing him with. _Maybe it's just that he's closest to having magic of the entire group?_ True, the rest of the group made his magic happy, which had happened whenever around Figg before he knew it was magic, and even Filch, cantankerous and foul, had made his magic dance, so maybe Tadashi either was, or was closest to being a squib of the group? _But no... Even those with accessible magic never made my own react this way... What in Merlin's name is going on?_

"Maybe I need my head checked..." He muttered, then he startled when a voice spoke up next to him, head jerking around so fast he was sure he'd strained something. 

"Sorry to interrupt, but master Frederick wanted you to have these. Would you like to change now?" Heathcliffe asked, barely raising an eyebrow at the young man clutching his chest in fright. 

"And Fred says _I'm_ the ninja..." He muttered. "Yeah, sure... Might as well give Tadashi his clothes back. Anything blue in there?" Harry asked, firmly ignoring the fact that he was _wearing Tadashi's clothes_. It wouldn't do to have a panic attack in the hall. 

The butler just nodded and led the way to the guest room he'd stayed in the night before, laying out a set of clothes before putting everything else in the dresser. "If that's all, then I'll be off. Dinner will be in a few hours." 

Harry watched as the butler inclined his head and left, then he turned to the bed and found a sapphire blue button up and a pair of jeans, both of which he changed into, glad for the longer sleeves. The scar from the tournament might have been gone, but he could still remember the pain of the knife digging into his arm, feel the raised scar under his fingers, see it sitting there, shiny and pink and raised. With a shudder, he shook off the mental images, rolled up the cuffs of the jeans so they didn't drag, and grabbed the clothes he'd been wearing, a quick scourgify tossed onto them to clean them off. 

Once they were folded, he headed out to the 'inner sanctum' to see if they'd gone back, and sighed in relief when he found the group ranged around the room. 

"Harry! You alright? You just disappeared..." Honey-Lemon was the first to see him, taking in the changes due to clothes that actually fit, even if they were a bit long, but she wasn't the only one to notice him. Tadashi had looked up at her call and immediately looked away, faintly flushed though it was unnoticed due to the pink of healing skin. Without his glasses, his eyes were free to shine like emeralds, and coupled with the jewel blue tone of the shirt he was wearing, it made them pop. Add in the fact that the clothes were well fitted enough to show how slim and deceptively delicate looking he was, and Tadashi was glad he'd curled up sideways on the couch. 

"Yeah, sorry... Had to use the loo... The bathroom." He clarified at the confused looks. "Anyway, Heathcliffe found me in the hall and gave me clothes, thanks for them by the way Fred, and I decided to change. A quick scourgify cleaned these," he lifted the sweats and baggy shirt in his arms, "and I figured I'd return them now, since you guys were still here." So saying, he stepped over to the couch and handed the set to Tadashi, keeping his eyes averted, then moved to the other arm of the couch and sat, tucking his feet under him. 

"Alright, if you're sure..." 

Fred came over then, poking him in the shoulder, and handed over the broom, an almost eager look on his face. "What else have you got in that pouch of wonders?" He asked, urging Harry to share more. 

"Oh, well... Uh..." Harry began searching through the pouch, going by feel, then he huffed and decided to stand, moving to a cleared space on the floor and upending it. Anything inside had been spelled unbreakable long ago, so he didn't feel bad about the act, just stared, wide eyed, as he found himself looking at a mountain of things. "Wow... I mean, I knew there were expansion charms on it, but I didn't realize there was that much..." 

Just at first glance, Harry could tell that most of it was books, all preserved thanks to the space inside the pouch, clothes both masculine and feminine dotted the pile, there were vials and jars, crates and bottles, even glinting pieces of gold showing where galleons dotted the area. 

"Wow... Uh... Hmm... Maybe you guys could help me sort things out?" 


	10. Chapter 10

Dinner time found them each with their own mini pile of items; Harry and Honey-Lemon had taken to sorting vials and galleons respectively, Wasabi took the books, Hiro and Go Go sorted out the clothes, and since Tadashi couldn't move much due to his tender skin, he'd accepted a book titled "Wandlore: Woods, Cores, Lengths and their meaning." It was interesting, if a bit dry and technical, and he'd looked up the composition of both Harry's original, and the Elder wand. 

A sudden yelp drew the attention of everyone, and Harry suddenly found himself flat on his back with a pile of ashes on his chest. Very familiar ashes that had begun to move, shifting off of a bald head as, surprise of surprises, a tiny phoenix chick pushed its way through. Shards of eggshell littered the ground as well, and Harry carefully sat up, transferring the baby phoenix into his palm, eyes wide with surprise and a little fear. 

"What is it?" Hiro asked, stepping closer and crouching to see the chick who'd begun to nuzzle Harry's hand as it dozed off. 

"Ph-pheonix..." Harry cleared his throat to ease the croaking sound, free hand brushing off the ashes lingering on his shirt. "It's a phoenix. I _think_ it's Fawkes, but I can't be sure until it grows a little." 

Gently, Harry began feeding the little phoenix some of his magic, bolstering the flickering flame of life to steady it, and after a moment, everyone relaxed, reassured that nothing else was happening. The chick itself got placed against his chest in the breast pocket of Harry's shirt, soft cooing sounds emanating from the opening, then everyone got back to work, sorting piles and occasionally throwing curious looks Harry's way. 

* * *

Finally, they'd finished sorting out the pile, and Harry realized he had a decently sized pile of galleons, several Ever-Full vials of potions like essence of dittany and pepper up, clothes that were in good enough condition that he could sell them for more money if needed, and books both magical and not. Wasabi had organized them in two piles, one magical to the best of his knowledge, the other muggle, and each of _those_ piles had been further organized by author, then name. They'd also found, to his surprise, a few handfuls of platinum discs that could also be sold off for extra funds. 

"Hmmm..." Harry eyed the remaining pile of crates and bottles, then began sorting through them, found exactly what he wanted, and grinned as he pulled the bottle of firewhiskey free. "I think this calls for a celebration. Anyone up for a drink?" 

"Hiro's too young." Tadashi, protested, narrowing his eyes as Harry just grinned and pulled out a second bottle. 

"No problem! This is butterbeer. The alcohol content is so low, you drown yourself before you got buzzed." He assured them, handing the butterbeer over to Tadashi when he came closer and checking the whiskey by scent. " _Hoo_ , that's strong... I suggest everyone sip, rather than takes shots. It's much stronger than muggle whiskey, I'll tell you that much." 

Once everyone had their respective drinks, Wasabi opting to drink butterbeer with Hiro and Honey-Lemon, they all took a sip. The varying reactions had Harry giggling, especially as even Go Go coughed and spluttered despite saying she'd "take it like a champ". Those drinking butterbeer were better off as it was meant for those thirteen and up, and Harry immediately turned to cast an ever-full spell on one bottle of each drink, as he knew they'd want more when they got over the strength. 

"Tadashi, I will beg if I have to, but this has to come home with us. I think I like butterbeer better than soda, at this point..." Hiro sounded almost surprised, and Tadashi _looked_ it, knowing just how much Hiro loved his soda. 

"You'll have to ask Harry, then. It's his stuff, not mine." 

Harry, who had been sipping his own firewhiskey easily, choked at being mentioned and turned to see Hiro giving him a wide eyed pleading look. "Alright! Alright, geeze. I can cast another ever-full spell for you, that way you don't have to get rid of so many bottles, _and_ so you'll refrain from pestering me." He then summoned a bottle from the crate, cast the spell, then handed it over to Hiro when the kid eagerly bounced up, giving an enthusiastic thanks. 

"Yeah, sure... Anyway... Fred, you wouldn't happen to know anything about how to exchange gold for cash, would you? I don't have a muggle education past eleven years old, so I have no clue what to do. Also, any idea on where to go to _get_ that education? I still want to be a healer, er... Doctor, but I can't do that unless I get certified."

Fred perked up, seemingly unaffected by the whiskey somehow, and grinned. "Sure! I still have all my books from when I was tutored tucked away somewhere. I'll get Heathcliffe to find them and we can all help you out. You'll get your certification in no time." 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a time jump in this chapter, about a year or so.

Surprisingly, Harry had easily excelled in his studies, able to concentrate now without the harping from Hermione, stares from everyone else, and the fear of doing well because he was expected to be like his father. With help from the group, he'd gotten a graduates certificate and was well on his way to studying medicine, often spending his days doing study sessions with the group despite their conflicting interests. Since he hadn't been comfortable going into a class setting, they'd directed him to online courses, and the practical lessons could be easily taken after he'd been driven to the area at least once since he could just apparate afterward. 

The phoenix had indeed turned out to be Fawkes, and a simple glamour charm tied to a talon cuff made him look like a Merlin. Fred had suggested it since it seemed ironic, and Harry had agreed because it was amusing. There had also been a lot more gold in the pouch than they'd initially found, seeing as he'd not emptied it entirely the first time due to shock, and Harry was sitting pretty on quite a large bank account after exchanging it and the platinum for cash. Certainly enough to get him through schooling and allow him a year or two after to find a job. 

While not learning in school, the original group fought off the occasional upstart villain who thought to cause trouble, and Harry had quickly become the group medic due to the myriad injuries they sustained in fights. It helped that Fawkes was willing to share the occasional tear or two. Tadashi, not being part of the original group due to his coma and injuries, quickly became the group mechanic, tinkering with and upgrading their gear, fixing broken gadgets, or just working on new things that might help. 

They hadn't interacted much past a group setting because each time they were left alone, Harry would blurt out an excuse and bolt, his magic surging in his veins at their proximity. 

* * *

Everything came to a head one night when Harry fell asleep at the bedside of one of their group, exhausted from healing as much as possible then leaving everything else to heal naturally. Wasabi, poor guy, had gotten stabbed in the gut by a particularly nasty foe, and while Harry had fixed everything he could with magic, he still had to sew up the wound to let it heal that way. His patient had been knocked out to make it easier on both of them, and exhaustion had dragged him under before he could move to his own bed. 

Tadashi had come over, seeing as they were using Fred's mansion as a base, to check on Wasabi, and caught Harry right in the middle of a nightmare. His body was twitching, and there were the softest sounds of distress escaping his throat, but otherwise, Harry seemed fine. However, the moment Tadashi ended up on his back on the floor, dazed, with green eyes glowing murderously down at him, he realized just how not fine he was. 

Slowly, lucidity returned, Harry flushed dark red in mortification, and Tadashi found himself blinking up at the ceiling where he'd just seen Harry. 

"Sorry! Sorry, just-... Give me a moment!" Harry practically squeaked, and Tadashi sat up to watch him pace, flushed past his shoulders and magic crackling like static along his skin. 

"Are you al-"

"I didn't hurt you, did I?!" He interrupted, panicked, then he flushed again and moved over to check for any injuries, finding a knock to the back of the head that he quickly healed before trying to get away again. 

Tadashi, fed up with a year of playing cat and mouse, growled and yanked, causing Harry to end up sprawled across his lap, then he quickly wrapped an arm around him and huffed. "Will you stay still for one minute?! Geeze... Aside from being surprised at how fast you move, and the bruise which you already healed, _I'm fine._ If I let you go, will you run away again, or will you stay and hear me out?" 

Embarrassed and hiding his face in his hands, Harry went still instead of answering. He'd managed to shift enough that he was sitting sideways in Tadashi's lap instead of sprawled across him, and he took the chance to draw his knees up to his chest in a clearly defensive move. The sigh Tadashi gave made him flinch, feeling all those years of living with the Dursleys coming back. 

"Good, just-... Stay there. Listen, and don't freak out. I know you're attracted to me- _H_ _ush,_ I know you're attracted, and I'm not opposed, but you keep running off before I can get two words out of you on the topic." He had to shift a bit because Harry had tried to escape, then he relaxed his hold slightly and gently pulled Harry's hands away from his face, giving him a soft, fond look. "If you're willing, maybe dinner? Nothing fancy, of course, but I'd like to maybe give 'us' a shot, rather than having you run away... Yeah?" 

Stunned but no less embarrassed, Harry nodded mutely, shyly averting his eyes, then, he hesitantly leaned into Tadashi's chest, relaxing only when he wasn't pushed away. It was nice, being held, especially when Tadashi began gentle running the pad of his thumb along his side just under the edge of the tshirt, the skin contact making him shiver. There was also the fact that his magic had calmed, almost purring under his skin instead of bouncing around hyper actively. 

_Maybe this will actually work out well for once..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't lynch me for the cliffie.


End file.
